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PRERNA PAHWA

Spearheading a crusade against cancer and fortifying student community ties By Deepika Banerjee

Agood Samaritan driven by the selfless passion to offer much-needed succour to fellow community members, Prerna Pahwa, an Australian-Indian who began her journey in Australia a little less than two decades ago, has made a lot of difference to the Australian community. Moving to Australia as an impressionable and young international student, she studied at the Swinburne University of Melbourne undertaking a Master’s Degree in IT. It is in this niche sector where she remains to this day having worked for such stand-out organisations as Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, Melbourne IT, & currently for the Queensland Government. Having a deep-seated empathy for international students who face various challenges and predicaments, she offers them assistance every step of the way. As one of the founding members of the ‘Help Ujwal Campaign’ it should be clear to anyone who knows Prerna that her passion in life is helping others. The campaign also drew her attention towards the dearth of awareness surrounding bone marrow transplants and even cancer itself. The campaign raised funds and besides saving a life, it successfully united diverse communities against cancer and broadened the horizons for the humanitarian community, sharing the same vision. Following the campaign’s success, she established her dream organisation “Simply Human”. Let us hear her story in her own words.

What inspired you to come to Australia?

As a curious kid, I grew up wondering how life’s like on the other side of the world. I took baby steps to explore beyond my little world in my hometown, starting from tier two to tier one cities within India for my schooling. New places and diverse cultures always intrigued me. I believe one does become the most educated with travelling and exploring the world. Back in those days, when I was pursuing my undergraduate course in Hyderabad, seeking universities for my master’s degree, I knew there’s my golden opportunity. Upon researching, I discovered Australia was the most welcoming of immigrants and undoubtedly still is one of the best multicultural countries. I fell in love with this country right away; it felt like a warm hug. I was at home instantly and now call this beautiful land my karmbhoomi (plane of actions).

You are one of the founding members of Help Ujwal Campaign and also at the helm of Simply Human Inc. Could you throw some light on both of these initiatives?

I was passionate for the causes that hit home to me after a loss in a family due to leukaemia, so I began volunteering for many service organisations like Red Cross Australia, Leukaemia Foundation Queensland and community projects like organising fundraising, multicultural events and many more. The Help Ujwal Campaign was meant to be for me. I believe Ujwal and I were destined to connect with each other at that point in our lives. It became a blessing not only for Ujwal but for me as well. The campaign raised funds and besides saving lives, it successfully united diverse communities against cancer and broadened the horizons for the humanitarian community, sharing the same vision. The success of the campaign drove me to cement my dream organisation i.e Simply Human Inc. - Superheroes Without Capes. We raise awareness for what is possibly humanity’s biggest forms of illnesses – cancer and depression. Run by extremely passionate people, our slogan “Superheroes without capes” aims to bring together people from all walks of life, willing to help create change and support those in need. A big part of the organization provides care for international students as well. Since inception, we have been working tirelessly with the culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) community, supporting people and their families fighting cancer/ leukaemia and depression. We have also been raising awareness about bone marrow transplant and mental well-being.

With the help of our benevolent community and collaborative efforts of like-minded organizations, we have raised over a couple of hundred thousand dollars till date to support cancer patients and their families. We have also successfully registered hundreds of new donors through our Annual Bone Marrow Donor drive. I feel immense pride that our organisation is growing and being impactful every day with kind-hearted volunteers and team members.

What challenges do overseas students face when they come to Australia? How do you help them?

The challenges faced by an overseas student are very different today compared to a decade or more ago. For example, when I first came to Australia 17 years ago, it was not easy to make an overseas phone call every day. Today, you can call your loved ones from anywhere and whenever you feel like. Thanks to social media that keeps us all connected now. We are finding that the youth of today who come from overseas do not have a true picture of the lifestyle here. Not to mention the cultural differences between the countries. In Australia, we are taught to be self-sufficient from a very young age which I admire the most. When students come here, they are so excited and enthusiastic about life, full of zeal. However, mental wellbeing is something that no one focuses on. They have scored academically well to be in this country, however, missed on the skill to emotionally balance themselves from being away from home. Sometimes, this really hits hard and some of them go through trauma and meltdown. I had my own share of challenges when I first came to Australia and no one was there to guide me. Learning from my own experiences, this is where Simply Human is trying to help the students to emotionally connect to people around and help them accept, understand, and motivate them to fulfill their purpose. Simply Human firstly recognises what is asked for. We pose the question to the new/existing overseas students to see what we can help them with. We organize various sessions at educational facilities to facilitate information about Australian culture, respect, immigration policies, their rights and understand the country that has so much to offer. We help them navigate their way into the society here. We also facilitate mental well-being sessions along with our partnered mental health organisations.

Were you always driven to help others or was it some turning point in your life which galvanized you into serving the community?

I like to believe that I have always found contentment in helping people in any way possible. Although, it is heartbreaking but an unfortunate truth for me that it took a loss in my family due to cancer in late 2009 to realise that lack of resources could be disastrous for a family. I became familiar with the feeling of helplessness, and it shook me to the core. I was witnessing my cousin fight the battle and the family running from pillar to post, to get her the right treatment, while resources drained fast. Not sure what it was but deep within, something changed in me, and I grew restless from causes and issues that required provision of various resources including

Prerna Pahwa receiving Lord Mayor Australia Day Achievement Award Local Legends Award 2020 - With Parents & Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP

emotional support. Although I lost a loved one, this incident led me to my calling; the bigger purpose that I had been looking for. I believe serving the world with our gifts is the worthiest pursuit of human life. I then turned passionately towards serving the community, feeling abundant and have not looked back since.

What do you regard as the biggest achievement of your life?

I am grateful for my efforts being recognized with accolades and awards. However, these were never the driving factors for me. After a stressful period of every campaign to help cancer patients, juggling between my full time work, fundraiser activities, counselling sessions, when I witness any cancer fighter making it through on the other side after all the treatment/transplant; it feels like an achievement to me. I feel there’s a lot for me to achieve. The lesson I learnt from early days was that living life doing your “Dharma” (purpose) is an achievement in itself.

You were the first ever Australian of Indian origin and in fact, the youngest ever recipient of Brisbane’s Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Achievement Award. How has this prestigious award influenced you?

I am ecstatic to be one of the recipients of the Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Achievement Awards Brisbane for 2019 for my contribution to the community. Being the very first Australian of Indian Origin to have won this prestigious award, this feels extremely special. As an immigrant from India, starting from scratch as an international student, making it to a platform so big and being decorated with such an esteemed award was a life- changing moment for me. They say, it is not the destination, it’s the journey that matters, this was a surreal sight during my journey. I am exceptionally humbled and honored to be appreciated & recognized alongside so many incredible heroes. My reach as a community worker has amplified, I get to network with like-minded visionaries and inspiring leaders doing outstanding work and get motivated from their beautiful journeys. This recognition has instilled in me a profound assurance that I have been going in the right direction and will continue to walk this path filled with love, joy, and kindness. As Aristotle said, “we live in deeds not years”; I believe I have a long journey ahead, there’s a lot for me to yet achieve and this is just the beginning.

Women in Business Awards 2019 - Rising Star Community Dedication & Social Justice Award